The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-06-18
White House Mail.


York Herald. contains an average of
from 100 to $50 letters day from
persons whose claims for pension are
pending before the department.
These people address the Chief Exec
utive in the belief. probably, that the
Pension Office is next door to the
White House and that theirs is the
only letter he may have received in
week.
About one-half of these letters are
sent to Mrs. Cleveland. The writers
in such cases are usually the wives or
daughters of the petitioners. Some
of them bestow upon Mrs. Cleveland
such titles as "Her Majesty" "Em-
press" and other appellations of roy
atty. There are few of the letters
that do not contain some touches of
human nature. They are evidently
written in the sincere belief that Mrs.
Cleveland will assist them if her
| cy III PdtAiCo Coll no dIOuo0us w Hu
this object in view a great mass OF
detail is set forth in the commanica-
ton. which, together with the OBJ
scure chirography and bad spelling.
make its understanding riatter of
no inconsiderate time and hbor.
1t may be said in this connection
that neither the Presideut nor Mrs.
Cleveland is even aware of the exis-
tence of these letters They are
opened by an unromafc and unsen-
timental clerk at the Executive Man
sion, from whose hatds they fall into
the waste basket anG are never heard
of again.
The women VINO address Mrs.
Cleveland furnish her with sugges-
tions as to the better method of pre-
senting their claim to the President.
One of the plans which perusal of
the letters show that all women hold
in common is for her to await until
Mr.. Cleveland has had his supper and
then, when he is enjoying quiet
smoke in the parlor bring the matter
to his attention. Many of them tell
her that this is the hour of the day
when a man is most amenable to
argument and that they (the writers)
prefer this as the safest time for pre-
senting their own requests,
The applicants for pensions who
write to the President are, as has been
said, old soldiers, who write in more
vigorous style than their helpmates
and their language is sometimes of
so robust a nature that it frequently
provokes smile. For example, an
Illinois man who addresses the Pres
ident in a letter says:
"The pension officials tell me to
get corroborative evidence from some
of my comrades. want to say to
you that it's a - of a hard matter
to get evidence from men who go
into an action and never come out
again." and then he continues by
saying that his company went into
the Wilderness hundred strong and
at the end of the seven days. fight
there were but nine of the number
who were left to tell the tale.
Sometimes letters are written by
children, who begin in this fashion :
dear Mr.. President-I am little
girl only ten years of age. My papa
does not know am writing this let.
ter. If he did he would not permit
it,"
Then follows a pathetic tale of
want and misery, touching enough
in its simple style of treatment. but
rendered doubly so by the fact of the
writer's youth and innocence.
Several months ago one of these
touching missives CHANGED to reach
the Presidents eye. Its simple plead
ing touched sympathetic chord in
the Presidents heart. The little miss
begged the retention of her father on
the Board of Medical Examiners in
a New England town in which their
home vas located. She said he was
very old and dying of an incurable
disease. The position paid him a
salary of about $1,000 year, and in
view of the fact that he could no
longer practice his profession the
foregoing sum was the only source
of income. The letter concluded
naively in these words:
Papa must not know about this,
It must be secret between you and
me. If you decide to keep him mark
an X on the back on the enclosed
postal card and then / will know
that you are going to grant my
wish"
The President sent the letter and
enclosure to Commissioners of Pen
sions Black. with this endorsement
eff there are no charges against
the examiner in question you will
oblige me by retaining him in his
present position"
GanaraI PIooL invoot;0otad A.